Wearables – CultureJamhttp://culturejam.co.nz
Jamming you full of Pop CultureThu, 24 May 2018 12:01:43 +0000en-NZhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6http://culturejam.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/cropped-jar-32x32.pngWearables – CultureJamhttp://culturejam.co.nz
3232Samsung Gear S3 frontier Reviewhttp://culturejam.co.nz/samsung-gear-s3-frontier-review/
http://culturejam.co.nz/samsung-gear-s3-frontier-review/#respondWed, 02 May 2018 22:15:52 +0000http://culturejam.co.nz/?p=11547It’s fair to say that New Zealand hasn’t fully embraced the wearables sector of the smartwatch market yet. When I see people out and about (yes I do get out of the house every now and then) I notice more people wearing fitness trackers than I do fully fledged smartwatches. The smartwatches I do see out there tend to be the Apple Watch and I dunno about you but I find that square design to be one of the ugliest products Apple has created. I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to smartwatches, I want them to actually look like a watch. I want something that, unlike myself, is refined and classy. I was a big fan of the Huawei Watch with its round watch face and design that resembled something high-end. Which brings me to the Samsung Gear S3 frontier; Samsung have tweaked their design over the last few years, starting out as a ridiculously big, rectangular monstrosity that thank god has evolved into the elegant, multi-functional rounded watch that is the Gear S3 frontier.

When you take the Gear S3 frontier out of the box the first thing you’ll notice is how “normal” this smartwatch looks. The gorgeous black design makes the Gear S3 frontier look like it’s come right out of a quality watchmakers design house rather than the factory floor of a consumer electronics company. On the right hand side of the watch are two buttons that serve as a a back/home button and the other that works more like a select button for the app you want to go into. The bezel of the Gear S3 frontier has in my opinion the best features of any smartwatch and one that I am glad Samsung are sticking with; that’s the fact that it is a rotating bezel. The rotating bezel is by far the quickest way to navigate around the watch whether you’re selecting apps, scrolling through text or going through your music library it is quick simply the easiest and most intuitive way to do everything you need. About the only downside to the Gear S3 frontier is the rubber 22mm watchband which does detract slightly from the premium feel of the watch but it does have a purpose. The rubber watch band is designed with fitness users in mind so that unlike a traditional leather strap it is much more forgiving when it is covered in sweat. If you don’t like the band though you change it for any other watch band you want.

When I mentioned that the smartwatch looked normal, once you turn it on you’ll quickly discover this is not your normal watch. The 1.3 inch 360 x 360 Super AMOLED display is absolutely stunning. It is crisp, bold and vibrant and quickly becomes the star of the S3 show. Apple may think they have mastered the art of the wearable touchscreen but the Gear S3 frontier has its measure! Everything just looks great on the screen, apps, pictures, text and of course displaying the time because after-all this is a watch!

Sitting below that screen is a 1GHz processor, 4GB of storage, NFC, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The combination of onboard storage and Bluetooth is fantastic because it means you can download music onto the watch and then use Bluetooth headphones or earbuds when doing exercise and not need to take your phone with you. About the only downside to the Gear S3 frontier is that it runs on Tizen and that can cause some issues when using the watch with a non-Samsung device. I’ve managed to pair the watch with the iPhone 8 Plus, Oppo R11, Oppo R11s, Huawei P20 and of course the Galaxy S9. Everything you need to pair with the Gear S3 is built right into the Galaxy S9 of course, the Gear App and Samsung Health being the most obvious apps. But on any other device you’ll need to install those apps plus a Samsung plug-in. Pairing with the iPhone 8 Plus was flawless as well but I noticed that when pairing with the Oppo phones in particular that the Gear S3 would constantly lose connection with the phone even when it was right next to it.

Tizen makes for an interesting operating system. In all honesty it works pretty damn well but app support is noticeably poor compared to Android Wear. The most obvious being that on the Gear S3 frontier, you have to pay to get a third party Google Maps app if you want to be able to drive and have GPS navigation going on your wrist (something I actually find very useful). Those sorts of native Google Apps that we all take for granted today are few and far between on the Gear S3 frontier which creates the biggest drawback for the Watch. I’d like to see Samsung bite the bullet on the Gear S4 and actually switch to running on Android Wear.

The apps that do work on the Gear S3 frontier work exceptionally well. Watch faces are plentiful of course and easily searchable in the Galaxy Apps store. I stick to the free ones but there is a great selection ranging from elegant, to digital to multi-functional. I tend to mix my watch faces depending on what I’m doing; if I’m around the house I use the digital watch face, if I’m at work on goes the elegant one. Spotify is one of the big apps that is on Tizen and it works great on the watch; you can download your playlists for offline playback which is great for exercising.

Which brings me to one of the best uses for the Gear S3 frontier. It is a fitness tracking powerhouse! It comes with a heart rate sensor on the back which is pretty standard these days and of course it tracks steps but it can do so much more. From the Samsung Health app you can start your workout and choose from a whole range of workouts to ensure the watch picks up and calculates your stats correctly. Whether it’s walking, running, cycling, using exercise equipment, doing a gym workout or YOga the Gear S3 frontier can track it. Even if it’s not in the app you can set it to a basic exercise stat tracker. The watch will also integrate with third party exercise apps if you want a bit more customisation and you’ll also be able to make use of the GPS for accurate mapping of things like a run.

Oh and did I mention you can take calls on the watch if it’s paired with your phone? That feature I absolutely love while driving. The speaker is loud enough to hear people talking over engine noise so all hands can remain on the wheel while driving.

The Gear S3 frontier will set you back $599 but it is worth every cent. If you want a watch that is waaaaayyyyy more than a watch. From takingcalls on the fly, listening to music while exercising, tracking workouts and sleep, the Gear S3 frontier can do it all.

]]>http://culturejam.co.nz/samsung-gear-s3-frontier-review/feed/03SIXT BT Studio True Earbuds Reviewhttp://culturejam.co.nz/3sixt-bt-studio-true-earbuds-review/
http://culturejam.co.nz/3sixt-bt-studio-true-earbuds-review/#respondThu, 15 Mar 2018 00:15:11 +0000http://culturejam.co.nz/?p=10774These days when it comes to headphones, or earbuds for that matter, going wireless is where everything is heading. We’ve all had the displeasure of dealing with wired headphones and getting ourselves in a tangled mess so going wireless is quite the liberating experience, especially when it comes to exercising and listening to music.

Samsung and Apple have been the dominant force when it comes to earbuds but 3SIXT have entered the market now and with a price point of $149.95 make for a great alternative without breaking the bank. Price is one thing though but if performance isn’t up to par then you’d just be throwing your money down the drain. Thankfully 3SIXT have come up with a pair of earbuds that balance price and performance.

The first thing to note with the 3SIXT BT Studio True earbuds is that the case they come in is actually a charged in its own right. That’s right, you don’t need to have the case plugged into power all the time in order to charge the earbuds. This is quite handy especially if you are planning on taking the earbuds with you on a commute to and from work. You can plug the case into power, charge it up then unplug it and use it to charge the earbuds during the day. The earbuds will get about 3 hours on a single charge so there is enough juice in them to get you through the main parts of the day when you are likely to use them but if you do need a top up throw them back in the case and within 15 minutes you’ll have enough juice to buy you another hour of juice. 3 hours on a full charge is a little on the light side but for most people that shouldn’t be a problem. I tend to only use earbuds when I’m either travelling to or from work or when I’m exercising so the battery life in the earbuds isn’t a particular problem for me.

When pairing them up it is a two stage process, first the earbuds will pair with each other then they will pair with your phone. When you take the ear buds out of the case a brief message will play to tell you they are paired but you need to be quick. The message plays very quickly after taking them out of the case and a few times I missed the message or just the tail end of it before I’d got them in my ears. They will pair with Android and iOS phones and tablets as well as macOS and Windows PC devices that have Bluetooth 4.2.

The earbuds are also IPX4 certified. I’m sure most won’t know what that means so allow me to explain. In short IPX4 means that the earbuds are sweatproof. They will work perfectly fine while running or at the gym but they aren’t waterproof so don’t try swimming with them or staying out in heavy rain because you’ll quickly find out that water and these earbuds are not on the best of terms. I’d like to see the next iteration fully waterproof which would add a lot of value.

In terms of fit, the earbuds come with a few different sized gel tips to fit a variety of ear holes. Getting the right fit is important to not only ensure you get the best sound performance but also so they don’t fall out on you while they are in use. The first time I went on a run I had the wrong sized gel tips in so as I was running I could feel the earbuds slipping out. Changing the gel tips though fixed this so I’d recommend putting them in and then doing some on the spot jogging or jumping just to test the fit to ensure everything is snug and not going to fall out mid-exercise.

There is also a built in microphone on board so you can answer calls without needing to grab your phone out of your pocket. It’s a handy feature to have and works well. I took calls while out running and had no issues, other than having to stop so it didn’t sound like I was trying to talk while having a heart attack (I’m an unfit beast so believe me when I say you don’t wanna hear me trying to talk while running). The buttons on the earbuds are what allow you to take (or reject) calls as well as skip through audio so it pays to have a read of the manual before you use these so you know what button does what.

All that is well and good but sound quality is the main thing you wanna know about so let me fill you in. As the name would suggest, 3SIXT says these earbuds produce studio quality sound. In a practical sense they certainly aren’t far off that. As mentioned before, to get the best sound quality you need to make sure you have the right gel tips in for your ears so you get a nice snug fit. When you get the fit right, the sound quality is very solid especially for the price compared to the likes of Samsung and Apple. Listening to music is a pleasant experience with a good level of bass coming through without drowning out vocals. I’d say that in terms of low, mid or high sound profiles these earbuds would fit right in that mid-range. In essence what you get is a good all-round performance for bass and treble. Volume levels are also good and at any level, mix well with the sound profile. When I’m out running I of course have them set louder so that I can drown out the outside world but when I’m travelling or out around people I set them lower so that others don’t hear my terrible taste in music.

Wireless earbuds are an absolute joy to use. Super convenient and of course there are no wires. They can also be pretty damn expensive which has held them back. Thanks to 3SIXT the day of affordable, good quality earbuds has arrived. Anyone who is keen to get into this wireless earbuds craze should take a close look at the 3SIXT BT Studio True Earbuds because at a price of $149.95 they are very hard to beat.

3SIXT BT Studio True Earbuds are available in New Zealand through the 3SIXT website, Noel Leeming, Newslink, Spark and Tech2Go.